Technical Field
This disclosure relates generally to integrated circuits, and, more specifically, to power management of integrated circuits.
Description of the Related Art
As the number of transistors included on an integrated circuit “chip” continues to increase, power management in the integrated circuits continues to increase in importance. Power management can be critical to integrated circuits that are included in mobile devices such as personal digital assistants (PDAs), cell phones, smart phones, laptop computers, net top computers, etc. These mobile devices often rely on battery power, and reducing power consumption in the integrated circuits can increase the life of the battery. Additionally, reducing power consumption can reduce the heat generated by the integrated circuit, which can reduce cooling requirements in the device that includes the integrated circuit (whether or not it is relying on battery power).
One approach to reducing power consumption consists of powering down various circuits that are not being used. In some instances, powering down a circuit may include disabling a clock signal provided to the circuit through clocking gating. In other instances, powering down a circuit may include disabling a power signal provided to a circuit though power gating.